McDermott leads No. 11 Creighton past Marquette
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Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge carried the No. 11 Creighton Bluejays past the Marquette Golden Eagles 85-70 in a Big East clash on Wednesday.
McDermott poured in 17 of his 25 points in the second half and Wragge connected on six of Creighton's 12 3-pointers en route to a 22-point night.
The Bluejays (22-4, 12-2 Big East) have won three in a row to stay atop the conference standings, while Marquette (15-11, 7-6) saw a chance at a signature win slip away.
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Todd Mayo led four Eagles in double figures with 13 points.
Early on, Wragge hit from deep on three consecutive possessions and added another from behind the arc during a 9-2 run that stretched Creighton's lead to 26-16 near the midway point of the first half.
The visitors never gave up the lead from there and were in front 42-35 at the intermission.
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Marquette got within five twice in the second half, but each time the Bluejays countered quickly.
McDermott hit from long range to start a 7-0 run after the Eagles had pulled within 46-41, and when it was a 64-59 game, the Player of the Year candidate drained another triple to spark a late 15-3 run that essentially put the game away.
"They keep you stressed in regards to who is going to guard (McDermott)," Marquette head coach Buzz Williams said.
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Game Notes
Marquette shot just 2-of-11 from behind the arc ... Deonte Burton (11 points), Jamil Wilson (10) and Derrick Wilson (10) rounded out Marquette's leading scorers ... Creighton shot 62.2 percent from the floor.